Coastal Erosion Read online

  Coastal Erosion

  (Golden Shores Book 2)

  by Rachelle Paige

  © 2016 Rachelle Campbell Dio. All rights reserved. All characters in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cover art photo credit Maridav via iStock; design by mnsartstudio via Fiverr

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9973226-4-4

  Books by Rachelle Paige

  Golden Shores series (sweet contemporary romance)

  Tidal Patterns (Book 1)

  Coastal Erosion (Book 2)

  Surface Currents (Book 3)

  Writing as Rachelle Paige Campbell

  A Perfect Picture of Us (The Wild Rose Press)

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  Books by Rachelle Paige

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  Ready for the next installment?

  About the author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Conserving every spare inch of the island off the coast of Georgia had grown from a hobby to Kimberly Meyers’ driving passion. She’d fight to save even an acre of salt-water marsh or ocean coastline for the town that had become her home. Wrapping her ankles around the metal folding chair legs, she forced herself to stay rooted in her seat.

  Clack clack clack, the head council member’s gavel slapped against the folding table bringing order back to the room. The hum of murmured conversations shared between the locals dimmed. Planning commissions meetings had grown into increasingly crowded affairs as development of St. Simons Island exploded.

  Suddenly, a familiar set of aqua eyes caught her attention.

  What on earth was he doing here?

  A spark electrified her, shooting down her back and through her limbs. No one could instantly make her crackle with awareness like Landon Beau could. For some reason the sizzle had lasted for more than ten years.

  Kim didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or scream or cry.

  But today she couldn’t let him distract her from her mission. She understood what she had to do. She needed to help the Society of Coastal Living, aka SCL, to save the stretch of land on the north end of the island near her grandmother’s house. She wouldn’t rest until the island had no more room for development.

  Control. Order. Efficiency.

  She had to stay focused.

  The council member cleared his throat to address the crowded room. “We will be moving forward with LB Holdings, granting a preliminary rezoning permit for a subdivision. They have proposed a development that meets all the necessary specifications and requirements, and this committee feels will be a benefit to the island.”

  Her chest seized as the words reached her. She had failed. An even worse, she’d let down her Grandma Rose.

  Her vision blurred. She didn’t see the council members conclude the meeting or her fellow volunteers from the SCL get up and leave. The scrape of metal folding chairs being dragged against the floor echoed in her ears drowning out all other sounds.

  LB Holdings would be tearing apart the land just down the street from Grandma Rose. Her quality of life would be destroyed. The rumble of trucks and crash of machinery would become a constant soundtrack for the next year on Grandma Rose’s wraparound porch, blocking out the sounds of the marsh. And the reward at the end would be a congested nightmare to get to and from her grandmother’s home. How could she have let her best friend down?

  Why hadn’t she pushed harder? Why hadn’t she gone door to door to get support? Why hadn’t she done more?

  Questions and regrets circled in her mind, keeping her gaze hazy and unfocused until a warm palm on her shoulder suddenly made her flinch. She jerked her hands up to a defensive position, palms out in front of her face, and then froze.

  Standing before her, he was impossibly handsome with his chiseled features and sandy blonde hair styled without a strand out of place. His piercing blue eyes locked onto hers. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Her gaze drifted to his lips, transfixed by the easy smile that made his mouth off-center. She’d forgotten that smile and how relaxed it made her—right up until he’d let her down when she’d needed him most.

  “I guess this means we’ll be working together. It’s real good to see you again Kim.”

  “You’re LB Holdings?” She shouldn’t have been surprised. Construction had always been his career path. His very presence should have alerted her to the problem. Had he come here to find her? Did she want to be found?

  “One and the same,” he drawled, stretching out each syllable to twice its length in his honeyed tenor.

  Up close, she could make out how the laugh lines on either side of his mouth had deepened. She swallowed down the dull, metallic taste in her mouth. She hadn’t had much to laugh about in the years since they parted. She especially found no humor in his shock appearance at the planning commission.

  He reached for her right hand, slack at her side. His smooth palm warmed hers as he shook it. Heat radiated off him, burning her down to her toes as if she’d fallen asleep in the sun. She snatched her hand back and crossed her arms, clutching the strap of her shoulder bag like a scabbard.

  “Guess I’ll see you around,” she said, stepping around him.

  The small crowd had begun to spill out of the meeting room and into the sticky September air just outside. She hustled out the door, tripping over the threshold, but a hand reached out and grabbed her elbow before she could tumble down the stairs. She shut her eyes as her nerve endings hummed with recognition—the only man she’d ever given permission to touch her. She’d never forget the toe-curling warmth of his palm on her skin.

  “Can I walk you to your car?” he whispered in her ear.

  She shook off his grip on her and watched confusion shade his eyes. She’d always thought of his eyes the color of the sea on a perfect day. Like the St. Simons Sound on a cloudless day.

  “No, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you around, Landon,” she bit out each word.

  Pulling back her shoulders, she coolly stalked back to her truck. She needed distance to regain her composure. With each step between them a wild longing to race back to yell at him grew. Why show up now? What about when she needed him? Taking in a deep steadying breath, she pulled her keys out and unlocked the cab on her beloved old pick-up. The one thing she’d managed to hold onto through the years.

  Control. Order. Efficiency.

  She fought a snigger at the mantra. His joie de vivre and spontaneity had always challenged her efficiency and order. She hated chaos, but she’d enjoyed not knowing what would happen next when she was with him. Back then, it hadn’t mattered. Nothing mattered besides being together until the real world crashed down.

  Turning over the engine, she swiveled in her seat as she backed out of the parking spot. Her eyes connected with his. A shiver crept up her spine and had her frozen in place. No, he couldn’
t upset her world again. The consequences had been too far reaching last time, and she was still trying to piece her life together from the aftermath.

  * * * * *

  I’ll see you around, Landon? That’s it? That’s all she could say?

  The crash of waves against the rocky shore only a few hundred yards away rumbled in Landon’s ears. He took in a deep breath of the salt-scented air of his childhood summers. Finding her on the island where he’d spent three months every year for over a decade had been as shocking as finding her at all. He fisted his hands and stuffed them in his pockets.

  He’d expected any number of reactions. Anger. Joy. Hope. He’d been prepared for any of those. But cool acceptance and an almost nonchalant attitude? No.

  And then he watched her walk away. I should have gone after her. Made her talk to me. No, that had never worked. Kim was her own woman and had her own mind. Only a fool would try to make her do something. He wouldn’t be that fool.

  “Mr. Beau,” a hand clamped on his shoulder.

  He spun to see the head of the planning commission, an old friend of his grandmother. The older gentleman removed his hand and tilted his head, the appraisal and approval clear in the wide grin spread across his face. Exploiting a family connection to get ahead with his development would be all too easy. He couldn’t give in to easy. Not if he wanted things to end differently, now that he’d found her.

  “Mr. Green,” he cleared his throat. “Thank you. I’m excited to get started on this project.”

  The balding man bobbed his head, moonlight glinting off the top and nearly blinding Landon.

  “Are you all settled on the builders? Engineers?”

  “I think so. I’m working with Nathan and Sons to get the ball rolling.”

  Fred Green’s eyes bulged transforming him into a cartoon frog. “Are you sure?”

  “Everyone I’ve spoken to recommends them as the best. And I need the best,” Landon assured him, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

  And I intend to work with her. After he’d learned her location, a quick internet search had filled in the gaps. Maybe he hadn’t continued with the plans they’d made in college, but she had, becoming a civil engineer for a respected firm.

  “They are, but they have a tendency to take their time,” Fred sputtered.

  “I’m in no rush.”

  Dreaming about this project had morphed from an idle fantasy to a necessity in the last three months. He wouldn’t be swayed off the idea. Not now. Even if father thinks this is ridiculous. Landon shook off the thought. Letting his mind race with all the ways he hadn’t proven to himself or his father that he was capable.

  “Thank you, Mr. Green. I appreciate you looking out for my best interests. I think I have a good handle on this project. But I might take you up on your offer to review the plans before we start construction.”

  “Please do.” The man puffed out his chest and extended a hand. “And give your grandmother my best.”

  Landon waved the man off and retreated to his convertible. Sliding behind the steering wheel, he shut his eyes for a moment and saw only her. He’d prove to himself that he was the man she’d always expected. He was ready. The road to his present might have been bumpy and twisted but at least he’d finally arrived.

  * * * * *

  Kim stood on the gracious wraparound porch, fist poised to knock on the back door, when her grandmother pulled it open.

  “Hi honey. What’s going on? You look like you've seen a ghost,” Rose said, putting a hand to Kim’s forehead and staring deep into her eyes.

  Kim smiled to reassure her that everything was alright. She shook off the touch but knew she hadn’t convinced her. Her grandma had always been too perceptive.

  “Maybe I have,” Kim agreed, slipping out of her sandals as she crossed the threshold. The cool tile floor relaxed the soles of her tired feet. Stepping into the air-conditioned room felt rather like slowly lowering herself into a pool. Crossing the room, Kim settled on an overstuffed chair and Grandma Rose joined her in the adjoining one.

  “Grandma, how do you always know the right thing to say?

  Rose chuckled. “Years of trial and error. What's wrong, honey? What happened at the meeting tonight? I thought you said it was only a formality.”

  “That's what I thought. Except I was wrong. Completely, totally wrong. We lost the land to a developer. I'm so sorry grandma.”

  Rose waved off her concern. “You can't win them all.”

  “No but I wanted this one. For you.”

  “I understand, but what else happened that you're so upset. What did you say?”

  I froze.

  She’d spent years imagined what she’d do if she saw Landon again. Running into his arms had been top on her list. Followed by either hitting his chest and yelling at him or kissing him until she forgot all the pain they’d caused each other. In those daydreams, their reunion had always been a reconciliation of sorts. Not some awkward, stilted moment.

  But in all the years, she’d never told her Grandma the entire truth. She’d never explained who Landon was or how broken he’d left her. Grandma Rose had swooped in to help her heal and rebuild her life without any of the details. She owed her a long talk one day. Confessing right at the moment, however, wouldn’t serve any purpose.

  “Nothing,” Kim cleared her throat. “I held my tongue in shock.”

  “At least you don't have anything to regret. At least you didn't stick your foot in your mouth.”

  “No,” Kim agreed. “But it was almost as bad.”

  The whistle of a teakettle interrupted them. Grandma Rose excused herself and hustled toward the kitchen. Kim tucked her feet underneath her and leaned deeper into the chair. The downy cushions welcomed her to settle in and relax and the hint of dried lavender and roses, and the potpourri grandma insisted on making herself, tickled her nose and put a smile on her face. Her grandma’s house had always been her refuge. She’d grown up in Wisconsin only a few doors away from her grandparents. But after her grandpa passed, Grandma Rose had announced she needed a change and left the snowy Midwest behind for the beckoning shores of the Golden Isles.

  Their location had changed but the furnishings and comfort remained. When she’d been broken, Grandma Rose had brought her here. In the months of rebuilding herself that followed, she’d discovered a community. And as the years past, she found a purpose. Kim wanted to protect this special place.

  And now Landon’s here and he are threatening everything.

  She’d spent so many nights that first year, awake in the early morning hours, sitting in the overstuffed armchair in her grandma’s family room, haunted by her thoughts. Questioning every choice and decision that led her there. With every day that passed, acceptance had settled over her like a thick, comforting quilt. And now he’s here to destroy my work? Destroy me? I can’t let him.

  “Here you are honey.” Rose pressed a steaming mug in her hands.

  The smell of lemon and Earl Grey tickled her nose as Kim took a tiny sip of the boiling hot cup. Neither of them had gotten used to the southern style of sweet tea. But they had adopted brewing proper tea for each other.

  “Thanks Grandma.”

  “Of course. But now I have some news, and I’m hoping for your help.”

  Kim perked up, setting the mug on the table between them, and leaning forward.

  “My next door neighbors are finally taking their honeymoon.”

  “That only took a year,” Kim scoffed.

  Grandma shot her the look. A raised eyebrow, flaring nostrils, and pursed lips let her know her behavior was unacceptable. She instantly asserted who was the grown up and who was acting like a bratty child.

  “Sorry, that was rude,” Kim mumbled.

  Grandma raised an eyebrow but didn’t offer further comment. Kim reached for her mug and took a long deep drink. First, she had been tongue-tied around Landon and now she was being cheeky.

  “She works events on Jekyll and he’s swamped with h
is business. Summer is impossible for them to plan a honeymoon. And even getting married last fall, they didn’t have any free time to take off for more than their wedding.”

  “Well that’s exciting, good for them,” Kim lowered her empty mug to the side table and smiled. She’d met the next-door neighbors a handful of times at the St. Simons Senior-itas tap dance recitals. Despite being in her mid-twenties and the youngest by decades, the wife had become one of her grandma’s dearest friends in the group. Kim liked the younger woman and appreciated having someone so close to her grandma keeping an eye out.

  “So where are they going?” Kim asked.

  “To Hawaii. The good part of putting off their trip is now their honeymoon is doubling as a baby moon.”

  Kim clutched her lower stomach, glad she’d set down her mug. Baby moon. Baby news was always happy news. Yet anytime she heard about a pregnancy, she felt like she’d been kicked in the middle of her pelvis. She’d never have any of her own to share. Kim cleared her throat.

  “So you’re house-sitting?” She focused on her grandma intently, not breaking eye contact. Grandma Rose had been her anchor throughout her life, in rough seas and calm.

  “Not just that. I’m also watching their dog Scooter. And I know how you feel about dogs. But I’m hoping you might be able to help me a little bit. They’re going to be gone for two weeks.”

  “Wow good for them,” Kim bobbed her head up and down, her mind racing. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken more than a long weekend. Not working wasn’t an option. Too much time to herself, and she started thinking and revisiting old wounds that were best left scabbed over.

  “You’ll help?”

  “Grandma, you know I’m not good with pets.”

  “They’re messy and unpredictable. I know. But Scooter is different. He’s an older dog so he’s not hyper. Besides the shedding he’s just about perfect.”

  “You’re not selling this very well,” Kim mumbled.

  “No, but that’s the good thing about family. I don’t need to. You’ll help because you love me.”

  Kim chuckled. Setting the mug back down, she uncurled her legs and stretched her arms overhead. She glimpsed the clock on the mantle of the never-used fireplace. The anniversary desk clock had sat in pride of place on her grandpa’s desk in Wisconsin, celebrating his career. Kim had always loved watching the faceted crystal cast rainbows on the ground as the late afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows.